September 11, 2011. It was the ten year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. I went to work at my bartending gig in Sydney like I would on any other day of my year-long working holiday.
It felt surreal to be experiencing such a somber anniversary for my country on the other side of the world. It was also on this date that the 9/11 Memorial opened at the former World Trade Center sites in New York City.
I was in town working for one of my temporary gigs for a week of long hours and (excitingly enough) an expense account. Sammi joined me for this trip, where we spent the first day with my friend Lauren on the High Line.
On our last day in town, a rainy one at that, we took the Subway from our hotel in Hell’s Kitchen down to the Financial District to see the progress of the Freedom Tower and the memorial. We weren’t planning on going in, but once we saw the short line, we went for it. I can emphatically say that I’m glad we took the time to go.
The National September 11 Memorial honors the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001 as well as the six killed when Al Qaeda bombed the garage of the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993.
Where towers 1 and 2 once stood are square waterfalls with the names of the deceased engraved into it. Next year a museum will open inside the memorial that will describe the attacks as well as the victims. The Freedom Tower is also nearing completion.
The tree that survived the attacks and was down to a stump was revived and replanted at the memorial. Roses dot the names who would be celebrating a birthday. The sun came out right as we got there, which seemed serendipitous. I felt the way I felt when visiting Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial or Washington DC’s Vietnam War Memorial.
Even though this was a tragedy I lived through, it didn’t seem real. I’m sure I will bring my children here one day to help them understand the important day.
If You Go
Tickets for the memorial are free, but you must reserve them before entering the memorial. A $10 donation is suggested, which goes to the families of victims. Buy tickets online before you arrive with a specific time slot or show up at the front or welcome center and purchase there.
Be prepared for a security screening before entry. Enter the memorial at the corners of Albany and Greenwich streets and is easily accessible by the Fulton Street Subway station. There are no public restrooms inside the memorial. The memorial is open from 10 am to 8 pm daily.
People began to attach memorial items to that fence during the long recovery period. They left letters, photos, pieces of clothing, flags, quilts and numerous other items in memory of those missing and in tribute to the recovery workers still at the debris pile. Soon the entire fence and the sidewalk in front of it were crowded with mementos from all over the world. For several years St. Paul’s displayed many of these items in a impromptu museum, but they have apparently moved beyond that. You can stop in to the quiet chapel for a moment of reflection when you visit the 911 Memorial.